Bobbypins
Hero Member
- May 31, 2008
- 503
- 134
- 🏆 Honorable Mentions:
- 1
- Detector(s) used
- Whatever gets the job done
- Primary Interest:
- Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
A little background first....
I'm a US military contractor working in Okinawa Japan. I've always wanted to go hunt for gold in Australia, and since it's only a few hours flight away, I figured that 2020 was the year that I scratch that off the bucket list. I'm planning on a late May to early June time window. 10-14 days.
Initially the plan was to do a Tag-a-Long tour group thing, but decided against that for a few reasons... none of which I'll get into here.
I've got the machine - GPX 5000 with about 4 different size coils. The largest is a Coiltec 22" mono. I figure if something happens to that machine, I can rent one from someplace.
I've been doing a lot of research on the Victorian goldfields, and have narrowed it down to Bendigo or Ballarat. Most likely going to be Ballarat. The Earth Resources website has been extremely helpful https://earthresources.vic.gov.au/licensing-approvals/recreational-fossicking/miners-right-agents but I'm still wanting some additional information about recreational prospecting.
1. Once I obtain a Miner's Right at the local office (Bacchus Marsh office) it's pretty much off to the fields. I'm not finding anything about a different pricing schedule for tourists like me, so I'm assuming it's the same price?
2. The biggest concern is WHERE to hunt. I'm not finding any defined map with boundary lines as to where you can or cannot hunt. The plan is to stick to Crown land, but like I said, it's hard to find a defined map of exact property lines.
3. Would it be possible to get a new SIM card for my Japanese phone when I'm at the Melbourne airport? It would be extraordinary to have a working phone when I get there. Maybe a phone rental
?
I'm sure there will be some more questions, but for now this should at least get the conversation started.
Thanks in advance for all the help / suggestions
I'm a US military contractor working in Okinawa Japan. I've always wanted to go hunt for gold in Australia, and since it's only a few hours flight away, I figured that 2020 was the year that I scratch that off the bucket list. I'm planning on a late May to early June time window. 10-14 days.
Initially the plan was to do a Tag-a-Long tour group thing, but decided against that for a few reasons... none of which I'll get into here.
I've got the machine - GPX 5000 with about 4 different size coils. The largest is a Coiltec 22" mono. I figure if something happens to that machine, I can rent one from someplace.
I've been doing a lot of research on the Victorian goldfields, and have narrowed it down to Bendigo or Ballarat. Most likely going to be Ballarat. The Earth Resources website has been extremely helpful https://earthresources.vic.gov.au/licensing-approvals/recreational-fossicking/miners-right-agents but I'm still wanting some additional information about recreational prospecting.
1. Once I obtain a Miner's Right at the local office (Bacchus Marsh office) it's pretty much off to the fields. I'm not finding anything about a different pricing schedule for tourists like me, so I'm assuming it's the same price?
2. The biggest concern is WHERE to hunt. I'm not finding any defined map with boundary lines as to where you can or cannot hunt. The plan is to stick to Crown land, but like I said, it's hard to find a defined map of exact property lines.
3. Would it be possible to get a new SIM card for my Japanese phone when I'm at the Melbourne airport? It would be extraordinary to have a working phone when I get there. Maybe a phone rental
?I'm sure there will be some more questions, but for now this should at least get the conversation started.
Thanks in advance for all the help / suggestions
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